An idiosyncratic journal of wines I buy from a mix of Internet sources and retailers in the Northern Virginia/D.C. area. Mostly inexpensive and moderately-priced stuff, reflecting my frugal New England roots. Cent anni!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

It was a wonderful Easter celebration at our house. Joined by the Finleys and the Kevilles, we had the traditional Easter egg hunt, and later, for dinner, our friends Brian Jackson and the Murphys joined us.

There was so much commotion and fun that I didn't have a chance to take good, critical notes, but here are my impressions of the wines we had.

Duval-Leroy "RoséSaignée" CHAMPANGE -- This pale pink champagne had wonderful fruit and balance, with nice but unobtrusive acidity, good concentration and a lengthy, dry finish.

2005 Columbia Crest "Grand Estates" CABERNET SAUVIGNON (Columbia Valley, Washington State) -- The Murphys' younger son Kevin actually picked this wine out himself after doing research about what wines would best accompany the roast leg of lamb he knew I was going to prepare. I actually drank, liked, and reviewed a previous vintage of this wine (the 2002, reviewed here), and the 2005 Kevin picked out was equally good. This is a very well-balanced, fruit-forward Cabernet that features lots of cherry fruit and underbrush scents, and has a soft texture that makes for excellent current drinking. Nice choice, Kevin!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Cousiño-Macul apparently now makes two Rieslings -- this one, which just says "Riesling" on the label, and the "Doña Isadora" Riesling. Since I haven't yet had the Doña Isadora from the 2006 vintage, I don't know what the stylistic difference is (or may be). But this is a very nice Alsace-styled Riesling, and as usual for this winery's Rieslings, an excellent buy.

Cellar or drink?: Drink. While there's substantial tannin, the fruit is so mellow (as opposed to vibrant or youthful) that I think leaving this wine to allow the tannins to settle out will be at the expense of the nice fruit present now.

Mouth: Focused and densely-fruited, but with a sense of lightness and balance, this wine features rich, salty, minerally raspberry flavors. The finish is like a dry port, with great length, and full body, and showing a bit of heat and tannin (but in a good way!).

Cellar or drink?: This is drinking phenomenally well now, but my guess is that it wouldn't hurt to leave it a year or two in a cool cellar.

Mouth: Broad, voluptuously soft, and ripe, this had richly fruity raspberry and black cherry flavors, framed by hot, gravelly tones and a bit of a peppery alcoholic bite. No tannin whatsoever to speak of.

About Me

ME: I used to be in the wine business ('82 - '87) in NYC. I loved studying (and drinking) wine, but I was no good at sales, so I became a lawyer. MY RATINGS/NOTES: People can sometimes attach meanings to basic wine adjectives that are different from those used by wine geeks, like me. And they also attach unpredictably positive and negative connotations to these words too. Take "fruity." Many casual wine drinkers think fruity is bad, that fruity means sweet. Some people equate "dry" with tannic and astringent. The letter grades scores I give are like school grades. I used to give numerical grades on a 100 point scale, but I decided I'm not really good enough to distinguish between an 89 and a 90. I hope that my scores help people understand how the words I use translate into enjoyment. My scores do not vary with the cost of the wine. They reflect how much I liked it. Also, I give scores to wines only after I've had a chance to focus on it away from the kitchen or dining room, where food smells and tastes can affect my evaluation. Unfortunately, I don't taste "blind," but I try to be as objective as possible.